Tank-car construction.



W. L. KELLOGG. TANK CAR CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED AUG.20. 1912.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. KELLOGG, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

TANK-CAR CONSTRUCTION.

To all whom it may cancer n Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. KELLOGG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tank-Car Constructions, of whichthe. following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention'relates to improvements in tank car constructions.

As is well known, in the operation of tank cars, the tanks are, frequently subject to wide variations of thermal conditions due to the pouring of hot oil or other commodities within the tank and the cleaning of the tanks by steam. Heretofore, considerable difliculty has been experienced in the building and operation of tank cars in securing proper anchoragebetween the tank and the car underframe which would 'permit of the Specification of Letters Patent.

expansion incident to the thermal changes,

above referred to. So far as I am .aware, the general method heretoforeemployed to permit the expansion of the tank has been by the use of a so-called center or one-point anchor located in the center of the tank,-the halves on either side thereof being unsecured to'the underframe except by tank straps or bands.

While the foregoing construction permits of the expansion of the tank, it is obvious to hold the end portions of the tank down and to prevent them from swaying laterally with respect to the underframe. Repeated that the bands are the only means availed of expansion and contraction of the bands and the constant strains imposed thereon, soon tend to loosen the bands with the result that too great freedom of movement is permitted the end portions of the tank both vertically and laterally, and enormous strains due to the twisting or swaying of the tank relatively to the underframe, are imposed both upon the one-point anchor and the plates of the tank itself with frequent damage to the tank resulting in the rupturing of t e seams.

Onesubject of my invention is to provide an arrangement for anchoring tanks to underframes near the ends of the tank and so arranged as to positively prevent any undue relative movement between the tank and the underframe, either verticall or laterally but at the same time provl mg the necessary means for freely. accommodating the expansion of the tank under thermal changes and without danger of rupturing the tank seams.

Another object of myinvention is to provide tank anchors located in the body bolster of the car and so employed in combination With the tank saddles as to eliminate the necessity for the tension member of the body bolsters now usually employed.

The invention furthermore consists in the improvements in the. parts and devices and in the novel combinations of the parts and devices herein shown, described and made the subject matter of claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 isa transverse, vertical sectional view of a portion of a tank car adjacent the body bolster and showing my improvements in connection therewith.

Flg. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectionalv tank car, the lower portion only of the tank being shown in the drawings. The center sill of the 'underframe is formed by two outwardly turned channels 1111 in the usual manner, the latter having a cover plate 12 secured at their tops to thereby form a column. Near each end of the tank, the channels 11 are secured to a body bolster member 13, the latter having a center bearing plate 14 which cooperates 'with a cor-- responding center bearing plate 15 carried by the truck bolster 16. The truck bolster 16 and body bolster member 13 are provided with any suitable side bearings, such as those illustrated at 1717.

In carrying'out 1n invention, the tank is anchored to the 1m erframe near each end thereof and at the body bolsters. At one end, the left hand end as viewed in Fig. 2, the anchor is formed by a tank anchor plate 18, an underframe anchor plate 19 and a double dovetail key 20. The tank is anchored at the opposite end by'a similar means, with slight modification, as hereinafter ointed out, the tank anchor plate being designated 118 and Patented J an '7, 1919.

Application filed August 0, 1917. Serial No. 187,132.

the underfra'me anchor plates 19 and 119 has laterally extending horizontal flanges 2%24 which are adapted to be riveted to the upper fiange's of the channels 1111, as by the rivets 25-25.

Each set of anchor plates 18 and l9 and 118 and 119 is provided with opposed dovetail grooves 26 and 27 extending the entire length of the anchor plates and when the parts are properly positioned, said dovetail grooves 26 and 2-7 are adapted to receive a nicel-y fitting'double dovetail key 20 or 120. Each of said keys 20 and 120, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, is undercut along its sides,

as indicated at 2828 so that when the keys are slipped into position, the sets of anchor plates are securely locked against either relative vertical or lateral movement. The keys 20 and 120 are somewhat longer than the anchor plates and each key is perforated at its ends, as indicated at 2 9, to receive'a retaining pin 30, the pins 30 being held by cotters 31 to thereby prevent accidental displacement of the dovetail keys.

At one end of the car, the cooperating anchor plates are p referablyformed so as to prevent any relative-longitudinal movement therebetween, and to accomplish this result, the tank anchor plate 18. is provided with a series of transversely extending grooves or' recesses 3232 in'which snugly fit a corresponding series of transversely extending lugs or ribs 33-33 formed on the upper face of the underframe anchor 19. The foregoing described series of cooperating recesses and lugs 32 and 33 will obviously prevent relative longitudinal movement between the anchor plates. At the-opposite end of the car, the tank anchor vided with a series 0 transversely extending recesses 132132 and the underframe anchor plate 119 with corresponding transversely extending lugs or ribs 133 -133, but

' in this instance, therecesses are made suf ficiently wider than the lugs 133 to accommodate the maximum expansion of the tank. In applying theanchor plates 118 and 119, they will be positioned as shown in Fig. 2, that is, with thespacing 34 between the interfitting parts of the anchor plates nearest the anchor plates at the other end or the car.

With this construction, it is apparent that atone end of the car, the left hand end as viewed in Fig. 2, a rigid but detachable C911" nection is provided between the tank and the underframe which positively preven'm rela late 118 is also pro-V tive movement between the tank and the underframe either vertically, laterally or longitudinally. At the opposite end of the car, the anchoring means will positively prevent either vertical or lateral relative movement between the tank and the underframe but will accommodate relative longitudinal movement between the anchor plates, andthis is permitted because of the formation. and disposition of the double dovetail key 120. With this arrangement, it is obvious that the expansion and contraction of the tank takes place substantially entirely at one sideof the anchor at the left hand end of the car as viewed in Fig. 2, and due to the type of anchoring means employed, tank bands may or may not be used as the manufacturer determines. a At each body bolster, I employ a pair of saddle castings 35 35, each of which is of 85 substantially triangular formation having a curved upper surface 36, vertical outside leg 37 and inclined inner leg 38. Each of the saddle castings 35 is bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the outer end of the body bolster member 13, as indicated at 39'39. At their inner ends, the castings37 are provided with horizontally extending flanges 40 which overlap extended" portions 4141 of the underframe anchor plate 19 and'119 and are securely riveted thereto, as indicated at 42. Suitable blocks of wood 4343 are in.

terposed between the saddle castings-and the tank,'the blocks of wood being held in posi- With the bolster construction above described, it is apparent that I'eliminate the usual arch bar or tension member employed in the ordinary body bolster .of a tank car, thus effecting a saving inthe cost of material without in any way weakening the construction.

Although I have herein shown and de-- scribed what Inow consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, the same is merely illustrative, and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a tank car, the combination with an underframe and a tank; of means for securing the tank to the underframe near both ends of the tank, said means preventing vertical and-lateral movement of the tank with respect to the underfrarne but permitting movement of the tank'lengthwise of the 'underframe due to the expansion and conof the tank including, a tank anchor plate, an underframe anchor plate, and a dovetail connection between the anchor plates.

2. In a tank car, the combination with an underframe and a tank; of means for securing the tank to the underframe near both ends of the tank, said means preventing vertical and lateral movement of the tank with respect to the underframe but permitting movement of the tank lengthwise of the underframe due to the expansion and contraction of the tank, the means'at each end of the tank including, a tank anchor plate, an underframe anchor plate, and a dovetail connection between the anchor plates, the anchor plates at one end of the car being relatively longitudinally movable and the anchor plates at the opposite end of the car being relatively immovable longitudinally.

3. In a tank car construction, the combination with the tank and the underframe; of tank anchor plates secured to the tank near each end thereof; underframe anchor plates secured to the underframe opposite the tankanchor plates and a double dovetail-key interposed between and detachably connecting each set of tank and underframe anchor plates.

4. In tank car construction, the combination with the tank and the underframe; of tank anchor plates secured to the tank near each end thereof; underframe anchor plates secured to the underframe opposite the tank anchor plates; and a double dovetail key interposed between and detachably connecting each set of tank and underframe anchor plates, said keys being extended lengthwise of the car; one set of said anchor plates having integral means preventing relative longitudinal movement therebetween.

5. In a tank car construction, the combination with the center sills of the car underframe and the tank; of means for securing the tank to the center sills near "each end of the tank; and a body bolster construction near each end of the car, each of the said body bolster constructions including, a lower body bolster compression member having its ends extending outwardly beyond the center sills on each side thereof, and apair of saddle castings, one on each side of the center sills, each saddle casting being of generally triangular formation with a vertically extending outside leg and a downwardly and outwardly inclined leg, the saddle casting having its lower corner secured to the compression member near the adjacent end of the latter, the inner corner of the casting being secured adjacent the center sills.

6. In a tank car, the combination with an underframe and a tank, of means for securing the tank to the underframe near both ends of the tank, each of said means including a tank anchor plate, an underframe anchor plate and a removable key, each set of anchor plates having shouldered engagement, the set of anchor plates at one end of the car being relatively longitudinally movable and thelother set 'of anchor plates at the opposite end of the car being relatively immovable longitudinally, both sets of anchor plates being separable in a vertical direction upon removal of said keys whereby the tank may be lifted .from the underframe, vertically, when said keys are removed.

In. witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3d day of August, 1917.

' W. L. KELLOGG. 

